The Impression That I Get
by MJRmutation
Summary: After the events of the last 48 hours, Castle wonders why he was fooling himself, for so long. Does Beckett feel anything for him at all? Set after the events of Countdown.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, give me a bit of a break here, as this is my first fic, so it might not be that good. But anyway, this is set after Countdown. **

**Summary: Castle struggles with conflicting feelings and beckett isn't doing much to help. **

**Disclaimer: Not mine, but one can dream right?**

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Climbing under the fort of blankets that he has formed on top of himself, Castle slowly borrows deeper, still trying to find the warmth that they are suppose to provide, but to no avail. He lays in front of his fire place that was put in merely for decoration, hoping that the dance of the flames would lull him to sleep. But after the last 48 hours, he doesn't find it surprising that he is still wide awake after 4 hours of trying.

Letting his mind wander the last two days, he plays scenario after scenario out in his over-imaginative mind, the scenarios ranging from the murder just being a run of the mill mugging gone wrong, to the bomb being nothing more than a CIA field test. His body was hit with a sudden sting when he remembered when the last time he saw his partner was, in the arms of some one else.

He didn't need to wonder where she was tonight. He was fairly certain where she was, and what she was doing, even though it sent a sinking, hopeless feeling through him.

_As long as she's happy, that's all that counts. _He told himself, but was immediately hit with the feeling of loss, knowing that it wasn't him that was making her happy. He fruitlessly tried to shake the images of her curling into the arms of another man he knew the face of all to well.

_Why didn't I just ask her over, instead of chickening out... again! _He had beaten himself up over lost opportunities before, with Kyra, with Gina, but it was somehow different with Kate. He kicked himself harder, yelled at himself louder, doubted himself more when he let a chance slip through his fingers because he was scared.

So lost in self loathing thought, he didn't hear the first knock on the door.

_He's a doctor, he's generous, he's handsome, he's passionate about his job, why wouldn't she love him? _

The second knock he heard, and looked over towards the door before dislodging himself of the blankets that lay piled on him to go answer it. Not at all in the mood to entertain whomever was on the other side of his door, he flung the door open and his stomach jumped up to where it had been resting low in his body.

"Hey," came the low voice of his partner, almost as if afraid to speak louder that the squeak of a mouse.

"Hey, Beckett, I uhh... I wasn't expecting you tonight." He said taking in her appearance. She looked tired, to say the least. She wore a pair of loose fitting sweat pants that bunched at the bottom of her Adidas clad feet, and a thick wool dark green sweater that looked like it had weathered more than it's fair share of harsh winters. Her hair looked like it was damp, but just starting to dry, but the ends clinging to her sunken shoulders.

"I know, I... I shouldn't have dropped by unannounced. I'll just go." She turned to walk back down the hall but was pulled back to the sound of his soft voice amending what he had just said.

"No, I didn't mean... look, you came all the way down here, the least I could do is invite you in." She turned back to him and hesitantly stepped inside, instantly hit with a have of heat as the temperature in the room felt as if it was in the mid nineties.

"It's a little warm in here." She said, looking around the loft, and trying to assess what he had just been doing, and by the looks of it, he was trying to get warm.

"Yeah, I guess I just can't shake off the cold." He said as he made his way to slowly follow her path leading to the center of the room.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." She responded flatly as she turned around, her gaze set downward.

"Do you want anything to drink? Coffee, tea, hot chocolate maybe?" He said walking toward the kitchen, ready to get her what ever she asked for.

"Uhh, no, I'm good thanks." She said finally looking up to him with grateful eyes.

"You sure? It's been a hell of a couple of days." He quirked, ending with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, coming to sit up on one of the stools that lined the island of the kitchen.

He looked away for a moment, thinking of what to say next, as she didn't really say what she wanted, or what she was doing here.

"Can't sleep?" He asked, already knowing the answer, but hoping she would explain.

"No, I can't get my mind off the last few days. It's just been a little stressful."

"A little?" He said, interrupting her. "Beckett, after what we've just been through, I think it's safe to say that you can be a little stressed." He finished.

She looked up to him and saw the slight smile that played across his lips. She let out a small chuckle before she spoke, "Yeah, I guess you're right." She looked down again at her fidgeting fingers.

"So uh..." He began, unsure if he wanted to broach the next subject or not.

"Where's Josh?" He asked in what he hoped at a tone that said he was just curious.

"On shift at the hospital." She said with a hint of remorse in her voice.

"Oh... I just thought that since, well, never mind." He decided to leave his train of thought unspoken, decided that she probably didn't come here to discuss her boyfriend with him.

Knowing what he was thinking, she nodded and finished the thought for him. "Yeah, me too. He said that since he called off his trip, the hospital called him in for the night, and the rest of tomorrow."

"I'm sorry." he said flatly with no real feeling behind the statement. If he was being truly honest with himself, he was glad that Josh had left her alone, tonight of all nights, because that meant that she wasn't as invested in her relationship with him as he thought she was.

"I'm not." She spoke after a minute or two of silence.

Deciding to pursue the meaning of the statement, he spoke. "Why's that?"

"He got the call right as we got into my apartment, he looked down at his phone after he hung up, and said that he had to go, said that he was sorry, and then he left. Not even an 'I'll be back later' or 'Do you want me to stay?' just sorry, and he was out the door. What got to me was I wasn't even surprised. I just stood there, waiting for him to come back through that door, for him to call me, or text me saying that he would get off as soon as he could and come be with me, but he never did."

Castle stood there, leaning on his clenched fist, hiding his anger toward the doctor under the fake look of pity he had put on. Josh's actions didn't surprise him either, but instead gave him hope that maybe she would come to listen to what he hoped were her senses and end it with him.

"Kate, can I ask you something?" He asked, almost afraid of her answer.

She looked up to him and nodded, giving him permission to speak that she felt weird giving him, seeing has he always just blurted out what ever was on his mind, regardless of the situation or setting.

"Why are you with him?" He asked, but kicked him self because it sounded more like an accusation than anything else. Seeing the disbelief and shock that quickly made its way across her face, he amended himself.

"I didn't mean... It's just... yesterday you seems so happy when he showed up, but now he's gone off, back to work, with out a second thought, and left you alone when you needed someone there." He knew that once he said it, that this conversation would turn into something that neither of them were ready for.

She looked at him for a long moment before giving in and sinking lower into the stool. With a heavy sigh, she spoke. "I don't know anymore." Her tone quiet, almost a whisper.

"Anymore?" He inquired.

"I thought I knew yesterday. I thought that maybe, just maybe, I was actually his main concern. I thought that maybe we had a chance to start fresh, that maybe he wouldn't be gone so much, and we could spend more time together. But after tonight, I just don't know anymore."

He stood there, listening intently to her reasoning, staying silent, waiting for her to continue. When she never did, he continued with his line of questioning, still a little unsure of himself. "So why stay with him? I mean, if him trying to be there is as good as him not being there at all, then why hang onto a false hope?"

"I thought that if I held on long enough that he would change."

"Kate, if there is anything I learned from 2 failed marriages, it's that a relationship isn't about change, it's about accepting who the other person is and... loving them anyway."

She looked at him, deciding to ignore the last part of what he had just said and quirked "You cannot tell me that your two marriages haven't changed you at all."

"I never said they didn't, but it's what they taught me that has changed me." He said, not really ready to delve into why his two marriages had ended.

"And what's that?" She asked, almost accusing him of something.

With a heavy sigh, he stepped back, jumped up to sit himself down on the counter behind him and looked down at the tile on the floor. "Meredith and I had been dating for about six or seven months before she came to me one night, saying that she was pregnant. I could hear the sorrow in her voice. To her, having a baby meant that the party was over. She was about two months pregnant when we got married. She wanted to go all out, and pretend that everything was fine, that we were getting married because we were madly in love and wanted to show it to the rest of the world, when the reality of it was that we got married because we, or at least I, felt like I had to. Alexis was born and everything seems to be going great for a few months. But then, Meredith would start coming home later and later, sometimes drunk. She said she was just having a little fun. But after a while, it got out of hand."

He mentally braced himself for what he was about to admit. It was not something he ever boasted about, and the only other person the ever told was his mother. With a heavy sigh, he continued.

"One night, after a publishing meeting got cut short, I came home to she sound of Alexis crying her lungs out, and Meredith on the couch, stradlling her casting director." The sound of a sharp gasp didn't phase him and he continued with this gut wrenching tale. "I tossed her her shirt, told her to get out because I had to take care of my daughter. She tried to explain but I just walked off, closed the door to Alexis' bedroom behind me and tried to calm her down. I didn't know how long she had been crying, but the fact that Meredith didn't care enough to get off of her director and take car of her was enough for me to draw the line."

She had always thought that the cause of his failed marriages was him and _his _partying lifestyle. But finding out that it was her, made her gut sink, feeling terrible for judging him. The curiosity rose in her and she found herself unable to fight the urge to ask. "What about Gina?"

He let out a small puff of a breath that she guess was suppose to resemble a chuckle and he recounted why his marriage with Gina had failed.

"After I left Meredith, and took Alexis with me, I plunged myself into writing, and Gina was there. She was always telling me how sorry she was, how she wanted better for me, and I mistook her pity for love. We started seeing each other and after a while, I guess we just both decided that getting married was a logical step. But after the glow wore off, I found that I married her to try and prove to myself that I had a second chance. We started fighting a lot, about seemingly nothing, and after a while, I decided that I didn't want Alexis growing up in that kind of environment. So we just sort of agreed to get divorced. We decided that we would still work together. But the bitterness was always there, even after we tried again over last summer."

She sat there, repeating the empty gesture he offered her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's in the past." He said blankly, not looking up on the crack in the tile he decided to focus on.

"Castle, I know better than anyone that the past can hurt." She said trying to make eye contact with him.

"Yeah, I know you do." deciding to make eye contact for what seems like the first time that night. They shared a small smile before finally breaking eye contact.

"You still cold?" He asked as he got up to readjust the heat.

"Not really anymore. It is pretty warm in here." She said looking around the empty loft one more time.

"Do you want me to turn it down?" He offered, but she declined, deciding that if he turned down the heat, she would just get cold again. She sat there for a few minutes, while Castle went about fidgeting with the black sweat pants that loosely hung on his hips.

"Look Castle, I never got a chance to thank you... for this afternoon. I don't know what I would have done with out you there with me." She said looking at his fidgeting fingers.

"Probably the same thing I did, Kate." He said with a shrug. But she shook her head, and got up to come around the island to stand in front of him.

"Castle, you saved a lot of lives today. You probably prevented the next world war." She said trying to make him realize what he had done today, because he obviously didn't.

"This may come as a shock to you, but I don't feel like much of a hero right now." He said still looking down at the tile.

"Why's that?" She cocked her eye brows to form a frown, hoping that her tone came across as honest curiosity.

"Well, I just stood there, watched the time tick down, grabbed your hand, and you looked at me with eyes that said to me 'this is it, there is nothing we can do to stop it' and I couldn't let it end that way. So I just grabbed the wires and yanked, not really thinking the action through. But when it was over, and you threw your arms around me, but when we got back to the station it was like... I don't know."

Completely lost on where his train of thought was headed, she refused to let it go. "No, what?"

He sighed and decided to just let her have it. "When we were at the precinct, I thought that maybe, we could be there for each other after this mess was over, and talk through it. But then I saw Josh coming up from behind you and was reminded that it wasn't my place. So, when I saw him wrap his arms around you, and saw you curling into him, I knew that I was fooling myself."

She was shocked, to say the least, she knew he was more open about things than she was, but this was a level of openness that he had not yet shared with her. She went on though, ignoring her usual voice that told her to shut up in situations like this and spoke, "Fooling yourself?"

"Well, yeah. I thought that... just maybe, after what we had been through, we had a chance. But seeing that you wanted a second chance with him yesterday, and then today, seeing you clutch your fists into his jacket this afternoon at the precinct, just said to me that you didn't..." he let the words fall away, unwilling to finish.

She then realized she had been inching forward, for the last minute or so, but didn't stop and she spoke softly. "...didn't what?"

His shoulders sunk lower as he continued "...didn't feel the same way I did."

Her heart sank, she knew he felt something, but this admission made it real. With her heart thundering in her ears the only sound she could hear, she began, what she thought was a mistake.

"Castle, never, as anyone risked as much as you have for me." With that statement, he looked up with red eyes, and tears threatening to spill.

"Castle, you have dove on me while being shot at more times than I could count, you ran towards my apartment knowing that it had explosive in it, you ran into a burning building, not knowing whether or not it was structurally sound, whether or not I was dead, with nothing more than the clothes on your back and a small hope that I was alive. You took me in, gave me shelter when I was homeless, and didn't ask for anything in return. You gave away a hundred thousand dollars of your own money for a shot at catching my mothers killer, and didn't even bat an eye lash when you found out that he got away. You stood next to me and help me hand as we watched a dirty bomb powerful enough to wipe out ten blocks counted down to it's last seconds, you held me in your arms as we were freezing to death in the back end of a warehouse. You beat a trained killer unconscious with your bare hands because he had his sites trained on my head. How could you possibly think that I don't feel anything for you!" Her tone turning from stating the facts to anger by the end.

He had his eyes trained on her as she spoke, his heart rate increasing with the volume of her voice. His head was spinning at what she had just admitted. This was Kate Beckett! She didn't ask help from anyone, she was strong, she was independent, but her she was saying that she probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him.

"Beckett, you don't have to..."

"No, Castle!" She came up to him and gripped his T-shirt with her hands and clenched it, wringing the fabric in her fingers, and looked him in the eyes as she spoke. "Don't you ever, EVER, doubt my feeling towards you, Richard Castle! You have given up so much for me that I can't even begin to wonder why you do it. But the only reason I keep coming up with is that you feel something for me. And I will NOT let you believe that your feelings are one sided!"

She was choking on tears now as she drew in a shuddering breath before speaking again.

"Don't you DARE say that I don't feel anything for you, Rick!"

As shell shocked as he was by what she just said, he couldn't stop himself from grabbing her hips and yanking her toward him, and crashing their lips together. Releasing her fists from his shirt and moving them up to his hair and clenching once again, she made sure he didn't relent in his assault on her lips. As they finally broke apart, panting and out of breath, they rested their foreheads together and closed their eyes. It was a long moment before one of them spoke.

"Kate, we can't... we shouldn't do this." Her heart sank once again at his words, not knowing where this had come from.

"But..."

He simply shook his head. "Kate, you're shaken, your vulnerable, and I don't think your thinking clearly."

"How can you say that?" She accused.

"It's kind of hard to believe that your choosing me." He admitted, and hating himself for saying it as soon as it left his lips.

"Why?" she asked, moving back to clench his shirt in her fists.

"Because to anyone else, you're dating superman, and I'm just Clark Kent, the guy writes about it."

"Castle... I..." She tried, but to no avail.

"You should probably go, call me in the morning." He told her, more than asked her as he removed his hands from her waist and went into his bedroom, and shut the door.

With tears running down her face, she silently took her leave of his loft, not knowing what to do next.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: sooo... first of all, HAPPY CASTLE MONDAY! Im honestly i survived the stupid winder hiatus. But WE DID IT! and i have a feeling that KB will finally say the 3 to 5 little words we have been dieing to hear, because the look on castles face when they kiss in the CTV promo tells me 'you did not just say that' so... yeah. anyway, im going to keep writing this and see what happens, i would appreciate some serious reviews, like some advice on how to improve, or what to change, but i still love reviews. Keep them coming!**

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Kate kept the last 10 minutes replaying in the back of her mind, reserving the front of it to keep her eyes blankly glued to the road, just phasing herself out, waiting to wake up from this nightmare, knowing she won't. She was focusing on nothing in particular, when several honks came from behind her, signaling that she had waited to long at the light she thought was red. She parked her car, got out, and slowly made her way up to her empty, cold apartment that seems to hold no life whatsoever, his last words ringing in her head like a broken record.

_You're dating Superman, and I'm just Clark Kent, the guy who writes about it. _

By the time just decided to actually pay attention to what she was doing, she was staring at herself in the mirror under the dim light of the plug in that was to her right, wearing the same sweatpants she was before, her hair let down and feet clad in her slippers she has had since college. The make up she had yet to take off was tracked with lines down her face that indicated she had been crying. She leaned against the too cold porcelain of her sink and let out a relieving sigh, trying to work up the nerve to walk the five or six feet to her unmade bed to toss and turn for the next few hours.

She finally pushed off the sink, and fell face first onto her bed, not bothering to fidget with the sheets. She turned to her side and brought her knees to her chest and wrapping her bare arms around them, burying her face in the space it created and fought a losing battle against the tears that she had stained her sweater.

_"I can't see it!" The voice said over the phone. _

_Looking at each other with shock and disbelief, the voice came over once again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" _

_Hanging up the phone, Castle looked at her with fear in his eyes, grabbed her hand, and waited. _

_4...3...2...1..._

A rather loud knock on her door created the explosion and shocked her to consciousness. Breathing heavy, and the shirt under her sweater stained with the cold sweat she had been in, she got up to answer it. On the way, evening out her breathing and regaining her composure, she looked through the peep hole and relented before she saw him raise his hand to knock once more by opening the door.

"Hey there!" He said in a chipper tone, a bright smile on his face.

"Hey, Josh. I thought you were on shift." She said before he walked in and leaned down to press a lingering kiss to her lips that lasted too long.

"I was, but I got someone to cover for me while I spend some time with you." He said rubbing his hands up and down her sunken shoulder.

She knew she should be happy, or flattered, but the only thing that was on her mind was the kiss he had just placed on her lips. It was... wrong. It wasn't like before. He was a good kisser, well, good enough, but something was just... off. Then her mind suddenly went to the last set of lips that occupied that space. When Castle kissed her it was, different to say the least. But going over it detail by detail, millisecond by millisecond, she suddenly wished Josh was someone else.

Castle's kiss had sent a wave of electricity through her that she felt was strong enough to power half the city for an hour or two, and only got stronger and the kiss deepened. When Castle had kissed her it was the first time she felt truly warm since the freezer. With Castle she couldn't wait for it to start, but now, with Josh, she couldn't wait for it to end.

Lost in thought and a fake half smile plastered on her face, she thanked him for coming.

"Is something wrong" He spoke from behind her as she made her way to her kitchen.

"Uh, just tired is all. These last couple of days have been hell." She said, trying to get her coffee maker to turn on.

"Hard case?" He asked, knowing he would get a short answer that wouldn't tell him anything. She never talked about work, or at least the cases she worked. Just that she either closed a case, or she was still working on one, and always left it at that.

"Something like that. Captain gave us the rest of the week, and the weekend off to recuperate though." She said, her gaze still cast downward.

"Well, that's good." He said, trying fruitlessly to cheer her up.

"Yeah, I guess." She said, still refusing to make eye contact.

Josh sat at her kitchen table, facing her, and watched her go about making coffee. She looked exhausted. He thought to himself whether it was a good idea to tell her or not.

"You look exhausted, Kate. You want me to help you sleep?" He asked, hoping she would take his offer as a way of asking for sex.

"I'll be fine." She said flatly, while pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Knowing better than to argue with a tired and irritable Kate Beckett, he simply nodded.

"Josh, I..." She ended with a quiet sigh and went to sit across from him, her gaze on the hazel color of her coffee.

"What is it, babe?" He asked, trying to sound worried.

"It's just, a lot has happened in the last 48 hours and I don't think that I'm the same person I was the last time you saw me." She said in a low voice.

"What are you saying?"

"I guess, I'm saying that I thought that we had a second chance at this," she gestured between them "but I'm not sure I want to anymore."

She heard him let out a breath and sigh heavily behind it, as if resigning to his fate.

"You know, I should have seen this coming." He said, not in the tone she expected at all. He was expecting this? She took this time to look up at him seeing if a vain was out of place in his forehead, but all she was was resolution.

"In all my years, the first thing people usually say when they wake up from a coma, or surgery, or hypothermia, is 'where am I' or "what happened', but not him." He finished with a shake of his head.

"Huh?" It was all she could manage at this point.

"When I came back, and was in the ambulance, I saw Castle coming out of it. But once his brow started to furrow, he snapped his head up, and the one word that came out of his mouth, after nearly freezing to death with nothing but a suit jacket to keep him warm, the one word that he uttered, was Beckett. I've seen loyalty, and dedication, but the dedication he has for you goes beyond anything I've seen."

"Yeah, he's a good man." She said, setting her gaze back down to her coffee, and letting a small smile blossom over her face.

"Well, I may not be a fan of the guy, and I can tell that I'm not his favorite person on the planet either, but what I can tell you is that the guy loves you, Kate." He said trying to look her in the eye.

When she looked up to meet his gaze, he continued. "In all honesty, I'm glad you found someone you can be open with," He got up and straightened his leather jacket with a tug on the collar, "I'm just sorry it wasn't me." He began to walk out with out another word.

"Josh?" She said, quietly. He turned around with a sad smile and raised his eye brows in a silent response.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, Kate. I may have been your boyfriend, but he was the guy you were really after." He said, and then turned around and made his way out of her apartment.

She expected him to at least put up a fight, to try and keep them together, however pointless that may be. Looking at the time on her microwave, then out the window, she decided to clean herself up, and go to fix the one thing that she felt she couldn't let go.

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**A/N: I've always thought Josh kinda knew that Kate loved Castle. And Ive read some pretty out there fics, depicting Josh as this pysco bad boy who hated Castles guts. But I decided to change that! Anyway, i hope you like it! if reviews are good enough on this chapter, or if i feel like it, i will keep this going. Hope you enjoy Significant Others! **


	3. Chapter 3

**You guys like Last night ep.? I would, however like to petition to have merediths' lips sown shut so she can never talk again! I know Beckett has to break Castle's walls down but she doesnt have to look so hopeless about it! And now, introducing Det. Javier Bruce Chuck Norris Lee Espesito! Seriously, that kick! Anyway, here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer: not mine, but one can still dream?**

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****_"Castle? Thank you, for being there." She ended letting her eyes slip shut. _

_"Always." Tightening his grip on her shoulders as much as he could. _

_"I just wanted to let you know how much I lo..." She said, why letting the hand that had been moving up to his lips fall away to land limp and weak on his sunken chest. _

_"Kate?" He asked with as much veracity as he could muster. _

_"Stay with me, stay with me..." _

_The mist on the floor getting higher, and thicker, was all he could see as the frost on his eyelids grew heavier. He felt the sharp sting of ice growing on his nose, and other extremities. He then felt the ice start to form from the inside out, feeling as if it was pushing his ribcage out, and stopping his heart. Then it moved up to his throat, and teeth, until he was..._

__He sat up with a too sudden movement that sent his head spinning, making him dizzy. Bracing himself with one arm behind him, he let all his weight fall onto it and use the other to run it over his face, stopping at his forehead. After a couple of minutes, after letting his breathing slow down, and forcing the sweat to stop trickling down his forehead, he swing his legs around and hesitantly set his feet on the ground, finally letting the thoughts of last night hit him.

Her recounting the amount of times he had saved her life just made it all too real. Shaking off that train of thought, he thought of what time it was, and how long he had until the rest of his family showed up. Looking at the clock that set on the far wall, he had about three and a half hours. Deciding to get out of bed and take care of himself, he went about clean the loft, tear down the make shift projector screen, and put away some, not all, of the blankets that he had occupied last night. Looking around again to find another clock, he saw that he had only killed a half hour.

He couldn't write, that much he knew. He tried after the case, to get his mind of off things. But it either sounded too dark, or sounded like a list of self loathing personality quirks he thought he had. Deciding that it was far too quiet, he went over to the small docking station of his phone that sit in the shelf against some other books, and went through his play lists to see what he could listen to with out actually listening to it. Bouncing Souls, Randy Newman, Louis Armstrong, they were all artists that he had passed until he finally hit his classic rock playlist and hit play. The sound of a strong piano hit the air and he knew he was now listening to Come Sail Away by Styx. This song always got his mind off of what ever he was thinking about.

But even that couldn't save him from thinking of why he had kissed her. Well, he knew why, but still couldn't figure out why he didn't stop himself. After the first one that night in the alley, he swore to himself that he would get to kiss her again, but it had always seemed like something that was just too far out of reach, the harder he ran towards it, the farther away it got. But now, he wonders if he had made a mistake. He felt as if he took advantage of the situation. Beckett had just been left alone by the man who was suppose to care for her, she had just survived being vaporized by a dirty bomb, and she was too vulnerable.

He sat on the couch with his hands inter locked behind his head when REMs It's The End Of The World As We Know It came out and he chuckled to himself. Before he knew it, another two hours had gone by, not leaving just a half an hour before his mother and daughter were to arrive. The phone that sat next to him rung, and with out looking at the caller ID he answered it with his usual greeting.

"Castle." He said a little louder due to the blasting of More Than A Feeling.

"Hey." The rather small voice came over the other end.

Immediately hitting the mute button on the small remote that lay on the other side of him, he responded with surprise.

"Kate?"

"Yeah, uhm... I just wanted to call and see if umm..." She started to ramble.

_It's never a good thing when she rambles_, he thought to himself. "Hey, why don't you come back over. Something tells me this isn't a conversation to be had over the phone." He said, trying to keep the shake out of his voice and keep it smooth.

"Okay, sounds great, uh... be there in twenty?" She asked, more than said

"Great, see you then." He smiled, but not realizing she can't see it, then the line went dead and he got up, and went about to make himself a little more presentable.

Twenty minutes went by when he heard a faint knock on his door. He went to answer it when his phone started to ring once more, but he decided to ignore it to let in the person on the other side of the door.

With a flick of his wrist, he flung the door open to reveal a casually dressed Kate Beckett with a small smile playing on her lips.

"Come on in, just give me a minute." He said, inviting her in, and going over to answer his phone before it went to voice mail.

* * *

She got out of the shower, got dressed in a pair of old jeans, a pair of boots, and T-shirt and jacket. Then hesitantly made her way to her phone that lay on the nightstand. She hit speed dial two and waited a minute for her pule to reach a less frightening rhythm. She hit the call button and waited for either his voice mail or for his dark voice to ask her what she wanted, but was surprised when she heard him give his usual greeting, trying to drown out the classic rock that was playing in the back ground.

After agreeing to meet, she was relieved that he actually wanted to talk about what had happened, but more relieved that he wanted to talk about it in person. She made her way out of her apartment and down to her car, then pulled into the some what light traffic of New York to make her way to his loft.

She stood in front of his door for about thirty seconds before knocking. With the door flinging open to his smiling face, and the ringing of his phone he ushered her in.

"Come on in, just give me a minute." He said making his way to pick up his phone.

"Hey, you guys on your way yet?" He asked the other person on the line, and guessing it was either his mother or Alexis.

"Mother, mother, slow down, what happened? Oh god, oh... okay we'll be right there." He said, finishing swiftly and hung up, threw his phone into his pocket ungracefully, and threw his suit jacket on his shoulders, and frantically turned to her with visual shock blatantly written across his face.

"Castle, what's wrong?" She asked him in a low, serious tone.

"We have to go. It's Alexis."

* * *

**A/N Now, bare with me here. I hope that where im taking this story is believable, and of course well written, but as always, let me know. I will try and have the next chapter up by the end of the night. If I dont, it will be sometime tomorrow. **


	4. Chapter 4

**So im trying to play this right and make it believable. So lets hope i pull it off! **

**Disclaimer: Not mine, but one can always dream.**

* * *

****"What've we got?" The doctor quickly asked as he got to the girl on the gurney.

"Female, 18, car accident, broken leg, pierced shoulder, and head injury." The nurse assessed the doctor, bringing him up to speed.

"BP?" The doctor asked, taking in the girls overall appearance and looking over her other injuries.

"110/ 70 and dropping." The nurse said, while positioning herself to left the girl up to switch her over to the operating table.

"Okay, let's get an X-ray of her head, see if she has a concussion or not, and let get inside that shoulder, she's losing too much blood." The doctor said as he made his way about fixing her shoulder.

"Okay, looks like she didn't pierce her artery, so let's get that shard of glass out and get her patched up."

The team of nurses and the surgeon went about fixing the girl, setting her broken left leg, and leaving her to recover. The surgeon looked back down at the girl.

_I swear I've seen her some where. _He thought to himself. "What's the girl's name?" He asked to no one in particular with a very puzzled look on his face.

"Uhh..." The nurse in the corner of the room began over the sound of flipping papers, "Alexis Castle."

"Uhhh, okay. I'll go let the family know."

* * *

"Mother?! Where is she!" Castle began as he frantically looked around for anyone who looked like they were in charge.

"Oh, Richard!" Martha said, getting up on unsteady legs and outstretched arms.

"Mother, what happened! Where is she!" He said, pulling back with a fierce look on his face.

Martha chocked back a sob, and began to regale. "Oh, this is all my fault. If I had just..." She ended with yet another sob and clutched her jeweled fingers in his jacket.

"Mom, what happened?" He commanded more calmly.

With a shaky sigh to steady herself, she tried once more. "We were driving back when we stopped to get gas and some coffee at a gas station, and Alexis offered to drive the rest of the way so I could get some sleep, because I was up all night worrying about you because you sent us away so suddenly, and my mind just went crazy because you wouldn't tell me anything so I was frantic and..."

"Mother," tightening his grip on her small shoulders, "what...happened!"

"We were going across and intersection when a cab ran a red light and hit the front end of the car and we went spinning. The next thing I knew I woke up on a hospital bed and a nurse who wouldn't tell me a damn thing!" She finished, reverting her gaze over to the desk and raising her voice to make sure that at least some one heard her.

"Oh, Richard, I'm so sorry! If I'd only been driving none of this would have happened!" She said wrapping her arms around her sons' strong torso.

"Actually, with the force the cab hit your car, you probably would have been killed." The doctor said, rounding the corner just a few feet away. "Castle?"

Castle looked up and immediately had a whole slew of questions but only one could form. "Josh?"

"Hey, your daughter just got out of surgery." he said with a content look on his face.

"And? Is she alright?" He said, the look of utter shock evident on his face.

"She's going to be fine. She broke her left leg in two places, and a piece of glass from one of the mirrors got lodged in her shoulder, but missed her artery. The thing you should be worried about is her head."  
He said, giving him the straight facts and deciding that it wasn't a good idea to sugar coat it.

With a quick lift of his eye brow, Josh took it as an indication to continue. "She has a pretty serious concussion and some slight whiplash. She's going to be fine, but she will be out for a while."

"When can I see her?" Came his immediate response, wanting to see the face of his little girl as soon as possible to make sure she was still part of this world.

"As soon as we get her settled and into a room. I'll let you know as soon as possible." He said and turned around to go down the long corridor once more.

After ten minutes passed, Castle still clung to his mother with silent tears running down her face, while Martha made hers a little louder. "What did he mean that I would have been killed if I were driving?" Martha asked.

"He meant that if you had been driving the car, Martha, than the side air bags wouldn't have cushioned the blow your head took and it would have snapped your neck." Beckett said coming around to sit behind her and put her hand on her shoulder.

* * *

She ran behind him, leaving only a foot or two between them. When she saw Martha as they rounded the last corner of the blank, white hall ways, she slowed down as Castle continuted to run. Hearing him ask his mother what had happened, and hearing her start blaming herself right off the bat, she suddenly felt as if she was intruding. She then decided to walk over to the nurses desk and ask in her own way.

"There was a girl brought in here 20 minutes ago, name is Alexis Castle. I need to know her condition." She said boldly while deciding to flash her badge, hoping it would have the desired affect.

The nurse looked up from her computer screen only to see the gold sheen of a police badge and her face when visibly pale and she started to stutter and then went about frantically typing. "All I can tell you is that she came in from a car crash, that's all I know so far. I'm sorry." With a impatient sigh, Beckett turned on a heel and walked back to the last place she saw Castle and his mother, only to see her now ex-boyfriend facing Castle. Seeing Castle nod and then Josh turn around to quickly make his way back the way he came, all she could think was how grateful she was Josh had come back to work, instead of letting his shift go lightly manned.

On his way back, she saw him see her and turn towards her with a puzzled look on his face and spoke, "Kate? What are you doing here?"

"I came with Castle. How is she, really?" She asked with a saddened tone.

"She's stable, we just got her out of surgery. It's lucky she was driving." He said, hoping the statement would finish itself. "What do you mean?" Kate asked in a more curious tone.

"Well, if Castle's mother had been driving, instead of his daughter, with her age, and her bone being more frail, with out the side air bag to cushion her blow, her neck would have snapped." Josh said, not wanting to sound as if he wanted to operate on a girl Alexis' age.

"Oh, well, how is Alexis?" She said, getting back to the point.

"Like I said, she's stable. She has a broken leg and needed a some stitches in her head and shoulder, and she has a pretty bad concussion and her neck will be sore for a while. But she's alright and getting the settled into a room now." Josh said, sounding just like he did with Castle.

"Thank you." She said warmly and reached out to him to place a hand on his arm.

"It's what I do, Kate." With that, he walked off.

She then looked around to find her partner and his mother and found them sitting down in a set of chairs near by and holding each other, with Castle running his hand up and down his mothers back that was now moving up and down in sudden and jerky movements, which she could only guess indicated that she was crying. Not wanting to interrupt, she went off to get them some water, knowing coffee or anything that had flavor wouldn't be helpful. Coming back, She heard Martha ask and she quickly responded.

"He meant that if you had been driving the car, Martha, than the side air bags wouldn't have cushioned the blow your head took and it would have snapped your neck." She said, deciding that placing a hand on her shoulder wasn't crossing any line. When she didn't respond, Castle looked up and sadly smiled and said in a breathy voice, "Thank you."

Eyes not faltering from his blue ones she spoke firmly. "Always."

"Family of Alexis Castle?" The nurse spoke, leaning around the corner. When their gaze was set to her, she went on. "You can see her now."

* * *

**A/N: Like I said, let me know if this is believable. When ever someone writes a fic like this and has them either just started to come together, or when they are on other sides of the world, its always one of them that is in an accident of some sort, and its always alexis who either hates the other person for getting them into this or is the one who seeks comfort in the other. So I decided to take another route. I hope you like it! **

**As always, please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Just incase you guys were wondering, I will eventually up the rating. Eventually! I dont want to have them hop into bed, or what ever surface i decide to put them on, until i feel it is right and it feels natural (if that doesnt sounds weird). In the mean time, Im just going to play it by ear, or by eye in this case, and see where i take it, i have a fairly good idea but still nothing solid. im still not sure how far i want to take this until moving to my next idea! **

**Disclaimer: not mine, but one can still dream, right?**

* * *

****Kate walked hesitantly behind Castle and his mother a few feet, not wanting to assume that she was actually suppose to be here. Although if anyone tried to tell her to leave, she would just pull out her all access pass, and go about her business. When she Castle stopped in front of her, she walked up to his side and placed a light hand on his left arm and searched his down turned face for answers.

He looks so, hopeless. She squeezed his trembling arm and softly spoke, "Hey, she's alive, Castle. And she needs you to help her through this. You're all she's got, Rick."

With a trembling breath, he stepped forward with an out stretched arm, and crept the door open his gaze still turned downward. Kate laid behind and watched as his head turned up and she saw him freeze. He stumbled forward, and reached out to try and steady himself on the foot of her hospital bed. Kate decided to get the chair that was sitting in the corner of room and place it where Castles' trembling legs were. When he reach behind him to make sure that the chair was really there, he sank down into it and but a hand over his mouth to try and hid the fact that his lower lip was quivering.

Alexis looked pale. She had gauze wrapped around her head and a cast on her left leg that reached up to the top of her knee. She had her shoulder in a sling, with multiple layers of bandages covering it, and had a simple looking neck brace wrapped around her neck. With the only sound coming from the heart monitor, letting out a beep every second with out fail, the room was quiet.

Martha was now kneeling on Castle's right side, clutching his arm with both of hers. He reached out his hand to take the limp hand of his daughters and started rubbing his thumb up and down her knuckles. Kate watched with heart break. She knew what it was like to have a very close relative in the hospital, considering her father's wake up call had been alcohol poisoning after her mothers death, but this. She couldn't imagine what Castle was going through. His daughter was his pride and joy, his whole world. She thought that he bragged more about his daughter than he did himself. Not knowing what to say, she simply replaced her hand on his shoulder, but didn't shake it off when he didn't respond.

There was a soft knock on the door, and the first one to turn around was Kate, as she was the only one who was upright. She walked forward and decided to speak for Castle, considering he probably couldn't form a sentence right now.

"How's she doin'?" Josh asked softly.

"Uhh, fine, as far as I can tell. When do you think she will wake up?" Kate asked just as softly.

"It's hard to say. She did suffer a pretty bad blow to the head. She'll be out for a while. We gave her some pain killers for her shoulders, so that shouldn't be too bad but she will still wake up with probably the worst head ache she's ever had." He finished, trying to lighten the mood, but sighed to himself when he saw Kate's serious face, telling him to shut up while he was ahead.

He stepped around her and picked up her chart from the tray that was centered at the foot of her bed. He flipped through it and then replaced it and spoke to no one specific, "It's safe to say she'll be out the rest of the night, with the blow she took to the head topped with the medication she was given during her operation. So when you feel comfortable leaving you can..."

"I'm not leaving her." Castle spoke in a dark, serious tone that left no room for aurgument but Josh pushed on.

"She's in good hands here, I promise."

He turned around to look at him in the eye and spat, "I'm NOT leaving her!"

Kate placed a hand on Josh's arm to get his attention. When she had it, she jerked her head to the side, motioning for the door, and silently telling him to leave, and he went with out another word.

"Why don't you go home mother, you must be tired after what you've been through." He said with out looking up from his hands that were around his daughters tiny one's.

"But Richard," She began but was interrupted.

"Mother, please." He said, almost pleading. She stood there with sadness in her eyes.

"Come on, Martha. I'll drive you home." Kate said, while putting her arm around the older woman's shoulder.

With out another word, Kate ushered Martha down the hall ways and down to her car, opening the door for her, and the getting in on the other side. And pulling out into the streets of New York once more. When Kate pulled into the same spot she had left a few hours ago, she turned and looked at Martha.

"I can't imagine how hard this must be for you." Kate said slowly.

"You know, I'm more worried about Richard than I am my grand daughter." Martha said still focusing out the wind shield.

"Why's that?" Kate asked.

With a light sigh, Martha began. "Alexis is his whole world. He loves her more than anything on this planet. And up until now, I think he's always thought that nothing would ever happen to her. But now... he's just so torn apart, and I don't know what to do."

"Neither do I." Kate said averting her gaze to look down at the steering wheel.

"You be there for him, darling." She said slowly.

"But..." Kate was cut off.

"You give him strength, Kate. You inspire him, you make him want to try, you give him drive." Martha said, not sounding like her usual flamboyant self.

"Thank you, Martha. Uhmm, do you need me walk you up or anything?" Kate asked lightly, wondering if she was over stepping by offering. "No, I'll be fine. Tell Richard I'll be back over first thing in the morning."

"Will do, Martha." She said with a warm smile. With that, Martha got out and walked into the building.

She drove back to the hospital and made her way back up to the room with two cups of coffee. She peered into the room and saw Castle sitting in the same place she had left him.

"Hey." She said softly.

He looked up with curiosity written on his face as he took her offering. "Hey, I didn't think you'd come back. How'd get in here anyway, visiting hours are over." He had obviously calmed down since she was gone.

"I'm a cop, Castle. Most hospital staff here tend to get jumpy when they see a badge." She said, almost bragging.

He chuckled, and sat back in his chair.

"You know, I've always thought that the worst thing that would happen was that she would marry someone less that perfect, or that she would have too many kids. I never thought this would happen." He said, his voice starting to shake.

"Yeah, I know it must be hard." She said, pulling up the other chair that occupied the room.

"I can still remember when she would come running into my room because she heard a noise and wanted to hide under the blankets at the edge of my bed. I honestly don't know how she turned out the way she did." He gaze concentrated on the cup of coffee that lay before him.

"You're a good father, Castle." She said honestly.

With a slight smile playing on his lips, he spoke once more, "I just wish she wasn't so, I don't know, grown up." He said, finally looking up to her to meet her warm expression.

"Castle, girls like her, no matter how old they get, or how rebellious they act, or how far they go in the world, or grown up they are, I can guarantee you this. Girls like yours, are always 'Daddies Little Girl'." She said reaching out to grasp his hand.

He entwined their fingers gave her a warm smile and sat in silence once more, waiting for daddy's little girl to open her eyes once more.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know. Not the most exciting chapter ever, but i'm hoping that it will get better soon. Im trying to figure out where to put more drama, or agnst. I dont want it to get boring. I do want to eventually get some case work in. Im open to suggestion, if you have any, be happy to message me, or leave it in a review. Or just review this chapter! **

**PS: Good luck to Castle and Cast during PCAs tonight. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I am really surprised at the response ive been getting from this fic. And because of you guys, ive decided to go along with the other fic idea I had. I still have plenty ideas for this one, but the other ideas i have cant fit for the place i decided to set this story. So Ill just have to start another story. Look forward to more stories from me. Anyway, here is the next chapter of The Impression That I Get. **

**Disclaimer: not mine, but one can still dream right?**

* * *

****Castle was asleep with his head resting on the side of his daughters hospital bed. He swore to himself that he would stay be awake until she was, but the stress of the day and the crash of the adrenaline he had been running on finally over came him and he slipped his eyes shut, still holding his daughters hand. Kate was passed out next to him, her arms crossed and her head slumped over, and was awoken by a very small sound.

Alexis was beginning to stir, her eye browns flickering up and down, the fingers on her free hand starting to flex. Then she made the sound again, a small hum that came from the back of her throat.

"Castle, wake up, she's waking up!" She said, between a whisper and the normal speaking voice, but in a still excited tone.

He lifted his head, obviously still taking in his surroundings. Quickly getting his bearings, he registered what Kate had just said and looked upon his daughters grimacing face. "Alexis? Hey, wake up sweetie. Wake up." He pleaded with her.

"Mmm, Dad?" She said with a sore throat, her eye lids flickering open and shutting tightly at the florescent light of the room.

Kate moved over to quickly press the call button and hold it down for longer, and with more force than was necessary.

"Hey there, pumpkin!" He said brightly, grasping her left hand with both of his larger ones, hoping that she would grasp back.

"Dad, what happened?" She asked, fear evident in her small, voice. She started to sit up, moving her right arm but was stopped when he put his hands lightly on her small shoulders and told her to relax and try not to move.

When the nurse appeared in the door way, she quickly called her doctor. When Josh came down a minute later. He put the hidden heart ache away and switched to the doctor that he needed to be.

"I'm glad to see you're finally with us again, Alexis." He said, moving over to grab her chart and mark off a few things.

"What happened to me?" She asked, a little sass portrayed as she recognized her doctor.

"You were in a car accident, some drunk cab driver had ran a red light and hit the front end of your car and knocked you unconscious." Josh spoke, trying to lighten the serious mode, but failed once again.

"Well, uh, you broke your left leg in two places, and got hit in the shoulder with a piece of glass from one of the mirrors, but it missed one of your major arteries by about a centimeter. But what I'm worried about is the concussion you got. Does your head hurt at all?" He finished looking the girl in the eye. With help from her father, she sat up to speak.

"Uh, yeah, a little." She down played her condition.

"Scale of one to ten?" He said looking back down at her chart to avoid her gaze.

"Uh, maybe a 5 or 6?" She said, looking back at her father who had a smile on his face, just because his little girl was back.

"Okay. Well, the good news is the concussion might not be as bad as we thought, but we will still have to do an MRI to be sure. We will get that ready for you as soon as we can. Then once that's done, we can replace your bandages, get a real cast on that leg, and you should be able to go home by noon." He said, replaced her chart, and walked out.

"Dad?" She asked lightly.

"What is it, sweet heart?" He asked, running a hand down the side of her head.

"You look terrible." She said and let the trade mark Castle smirk play across her lips.

With a chuckle, he spoke, "Well, it's not everyday my little girl gets hit by a car. Now, how are you really, really, feeling?" He asked, tilted his head and perched one eye brow above the other.

"Well, I have the worst head ache I've ever had, my leg feels 10 pounds heavier, and my shoulder is tingling." She said, while giving her self a once over.

"Well, the pain killers they gave you worked then." Kate said, making her presence known to the girl.

"What do you mean?" Alexis asked, turning her head to face the other side of the room.

"Your shoulder should be killing you, and your leg should be screaming at you. I broke my leg when I was in grade school, hurt like a..."

"Beckett!" He interrupted her, letting a fake look of astonishment come across his face. She just smirked right back put her hands in her pockets.

"I just want to go home, this bed feels like plastic, and this room smells like a hospital." She said, and putting on a pout that Kate saw when ever Castle got blow back from one of his innuendos.

"That's because your in a hospital, sweetie." He said, not getting why she was stating the obvious.

"That's the point, Dad!" She huffed out.

"Trust me, I don't like being here any more than you do. We will get you home just as soon as Dr. Motorcycle boy gives us the all clear, and then I will get to smoother and spoil you to death and get to have a panic attack every time I hear a stair creek under your feet." He said, getting up to stretch.

"Thanks, Dad." She said and smiled warmly.

* * *

The MRI went on with out a hitch, and then they got home around noon, just as predicted. With Martha pacing the kitchen when the arrived, she lunged her self onto her grand daughter, but was soon yelled at for squeezing too hard. They went about getting her settled in her bed, getting her some eatable food. The day passed into night uneventful and Beckett started to feel out of place, with all the attention going to Alexis. When she was finally asleep, and Martha went up to join her, finally able to sleep knowing she was actually okay, Beckett was found sitting on the couch, her legs and arms crossed while nibbling on her thumb.

"Hey." Castle said, gliding around the corner to set next to her.

"Hey." She said letting her hand drop. and tilting her head down a little more.

"You know, I just wanted to thank you, for these last couple of days. I probably couldn't have handled it with out you." He said, reaching out to place his hand over the one that had just landed in her lap.

"It's what partners are for, Castle." She responded, entwining their fingers together and giving him a warm smile.

After a couple of minutes of letting their eyes' dance in each others and leaving a lot unsaid, Castle finally broke the thick silence. "Uhm, how bout I make it up to you with dinner." He said, playing a small smirk.

"Castle, we just ate." She said, not following the train of thought he had made clear.

"No, I mean, like, oh never mind." He said turning away, and letting her hand drop back in her lap. He had gotten so lost in the moment he had forgotten she had a boyfriend, and worse yet, the one doctor, out of all the doctors that New York had to offer, he had to be the one that was given to Alexis. The thought made him grow jealous. How could a girl not fall completely for a guy like that when he's 'in his element'. It's not like he can make girls sigh and clasp their hands together and press them to their blushing cheeks when he's sitting in his office with a laptop open in front of him. But when they see some one like Josh being, well, a doctor, what are the chances?

Finally getting where he was going with the whole thing, she nodded and gave a voice to her acknowledgment. "I'd love to, Castle."

"You would?" He said, whipping his head up to reveal a shocked and astonished look.

She began to get up, replace her jacket around her shoulders, and find her keys. When she had her hand on the door knob, she turned around and spoke to Castle, who still had his mouth a gape. "Tomorrow night. Pick me up at 7." And quickly let her self out.

He chuckled to himself and got up, not feeling the weight of his stomach at all, and went to bed, but was not getting any sleep tonight.

* * *

"What about this?" Kate asked, holding up at another dress in front of herself.

"Too..." Lanie Said, waving her hands in front of her self in the 'wax on, wax off' movement. With a huff she threw it back into her closet, not caring where it landed.

"Kate, just go with the black one!" Lanie yelled as Kate returned to rummage through her closet once more.

"It's too simple, Lanie! This is Castle we're talking about!" Kate pointed out, hoping to end the discussion at that.

"Exactly! I've seen the way he looks at you. You could be wearing a barrel, and a clown wig and still make him drool." Lanie pointed out.

With yet another puff of air, and this time accompanied with an eye roll, she went back to the simple, elegant black dress. Holding it out in front of her, looking it over, pursing her lips, and squinting, she finally decided to go with it. She went to put it on, and came out to a still disapproving looking Lanie.

"Whats wrong now?" Kate said, getting impatience, as it was six o'clock and she needed time to get her nerves down to a sustain able level.

"Too much hair." Lanie said, getting up, grabbing Kate's wrist and dragging her into the bath room.

They came out a half an hour later, almost choking on hair spray, and went into her living room. "That's better." Lanie remarked, brushing her hands together and placing them on her hips. Looking her over once more in the soft light of her living room, she took in her appearance. The simple, elegant, black dress went down to the top of her knees, and met at a V just below the valley of her breasts. The straps were thin, and met together at her lower back. Her hair up into a curly bun, that left her shoulders naked except for the straps of her dress.

"You are gorgeous, Kate." Lanie said warmly.

"Thanks, Lanie." She said as she heard a knock on her door, only guessing as to who it was.

She went over to answer it and stopped to steady her self, ran a hand down her thighs to smooth down the dress and shaker her head to get her hair in place. Taking a steadying breath, she quickly reached out and yanked the door open.

"Heh... uh, uhmm, I...uh... wow." He said, stumbling over the words he had carefully rehearsed to himself on the way over to her apartment.

"Hey, Castle." She greeted in a light tone.

Still raking his lustful eyes over her appearance, he spoke, still stuttering. "You, uh, look miraculous."

"Thanks, Castle." She responded, looking down and shyly tucking a strand of imaginary hair behind her ear.

Suddenly remembering what he was there for, he lent out his arm and spoke deeply.

"Shall we?"

* * *

**A/N: I would have split this into two chapters and had the date go on in the second, but I didnt want to leave it where it would have been left if i did. So I turned it to this. **

**There WAS a Firefly reference in this chapter, can you find it? :D **

**As always, review, or just read and enjoy! but you can still review on my writing skills, or lack there of. But still, review. :) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Still not mine, but one can always dream, right?**

* * *

The day went slow for Rick. Too nervous to write, too jittery to stay in one spot for one minute. While asking Alexis for the third time if she will be alright tonight with grams, she assured him that she is fine here holding down the fort while he goes out.

"Dad, I feel bad that you have been worrying about me for the past three days. You need to get out of this house, go out and have some fun!" Alexis urged him.

"Are you sure? I can always cancel, Beckett will understand." Castle pleaded, still worrying about leaving Alexis home alone when she just got out of the hospital.

"Dad, I promise you that I will be fine. It's one night. It's not like you're going away to war or anything." She said, putting her focus back on her laptop that sat next to her on her bed.

"While that may be, as your father, it is my duty to worry with out probable cause. And this is one of the rare occasions that I have that I actually have cause to worry." He said coming to sit on the edge of her bed.

"Grams will be here." She uttered as if that would fix it.

"Exactly." He muttered, in a low voice. He was sure she would be fine, and was sure that he would come home and see her safe and sound on her bed, while his mother sit on the couch down stairs with a glass of wine in her hand.

"Would you go! You're gonna be late, Dad!" She said waving her hand in the direction of the door.

"Okay, call me if you need your pillows fluffed." He told her, making sure her phone was in reaching distance, and asking her once more, "Do you need anything else?"

"Go!" She yelled in a joking tone.

On his way done stairs to grab his suit jacket, he spotted his mother on the couch with a glass of wine just as he predicted. He flipped his suit jacket around his shoulders and came to stand in front of her. "Mother, if I come home tonight and she tells me she had to get out of bed to get something, you're paying rent." He said, waving an accusing finger in her face.

"Oh Richard, calm down, would you? I'll take care of her just like I did you when you got the chicken pocks when you were little. She will be catered to hand and foot, I can assure you. Now go!" With a displeased sigh, thinking back on what it was like to have been cared for by his mother while having the chicken pocks, he let himself out.

When he reached her door he knocked softly, and waited, a calm smirk on his face. Calmness portrayed on the outside disguised his hyperactive nerves. He smoothed his hands over the lapels of his black suit jacket continued to wait, he ran over his greeting quickly once more in his head, hoping to sound the smooth charmer he portrayed on his dates. When he heard the soft click of the door knob being turned, and the door creak open, he started is greeting but it soon fell off of his lips in a helpless heap of sounds.

She looked gorgeous. Simple black heels flexed her perfect calves, her knees touched and begun the black dress that tightly fitted her slim bodice and fit in all the right places. Her hair was done in a finely done bun that let her slim shoulders show. Richard Castle knew he was portrayed as a playboy who loved nothing more than scantly clad women with fake boobs, plastic lips, hair extensions, and his signature on their chest.

The truth was he always had a very weak spot for elegance. He could fall for a girl who showed less skin but still captured the entire rooms attention, than a girl who got the attention for a wrong reason. And Kate Beckett was a head turner, to say the least. It wasn't just that she was absolutely gorgeous, it was how she handled it. She was graceful, strong, confident, powerful, and oh so sexy. Yet here she was, nervously tucking a stray line of hair behind her ear and twirling from side to side because she couldn't sit still.

"You look miraculous." That was an understatement if he ever heard one. He was quite proud of himself for using the word 'miraculous'. Sure, he could have said beautiful, great, gorgeous, but there was something about the word miraculous that made it sound like the beauty came naturally, and not a product of hours and hours spent turning something into something it isn't. But Kate Beckett was already beautiful.

She took his arm and headed out.

* * *

When they arrived at the restaurant, he opened the door for her and lended his hand to help her out. She grasped it lightly and got out. They walked up to the door and once again, he stepped in front of her and opened the door with a little bow. With a slight eye roll that only made him grin because it led to a smile, he walked in behind her. The waiter showed them to their table, and left them to take in the detail.

"How come I've never heard of this place?" She asked as she flipped open the menu.

"Well, this place is relatively small, but it's still well known among some New York circles, and one of them just happens to be mine." Castle said mirroring her action.

The wood of the walls and tables were dark, but not covered with a sheen that made it look fake. All the tables were set with a thick, white table cloth and set with a small bowl with one small candle in the bottom of it that sent a soft glow just far enough to reach the edge of the table. Of course, there was too much silver ware, and she wondered what she had gotten her self into by agreeing to this.

"It will be worth it." He said with out looking up from the menu.

"Huh?" She said, honestly confused.

"This place may look a little too fancy for you, but just bare with me when I say, it will be worth it." He answered, looking up to see the tension flee from her face.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and take your word for it, Castle."

"Thank you, see? Isn't it nice to let some one else take the wheel?" He said with an accusingly raised eye brow.

"We'll see." She responded, as if it didn't have a double meaning.

The waiter came up to the table and read off the specials and the chefs recommendations, Castle ordered and then the waiter turned to Kate, and she looked a little flustered. So, taking the wheel, he spoke up to the waiter and decided for her. "She'll have the chicken cachatori." The waiter wrote down the order and ran off.

"What was that all about?" She asked, obviously displeased with his action.

"Like I said, taking the wheel. Trust me, it's the best in New York." He said leaning back in his chair.

They sat their in a silence that had an edge of awkwardness to it and he decided that now was a good time as any. "So, uh, with all the commotion of the last few days, we never got a chance to talk about the other night." He said in a small voice, afraid to bring the subject up, hoping to leave it forgotten.

"Uh yeah, I guess we haven't."

"Listen, we were both a little high on the adrenaline from everything that happened, and I didn't want it to be..." He couldn't find the right words, and he scrunched his face up to try and help him.

"...faked." She finished for him.

"Yeah, I mean, it's one thing if were to say the things we said after going home after a day of paper work, but stopping a dirty bomb from exploding? Nearly freezing to death? I just didn't want to do something and then have you walk out and chalk it up to almost being killed."

"Yeah, I get it. It was bad timing, I guess." She said, feeling the clench in her gut release as she realized that he didn't want her just for one night.

"And besides, you were kind of taken." He answered after a few more minutes.

"What do, oh. Yeah well, I guess I had bad timing when it comes to break up's too." She said, accusing her self of the horrible timing she had.

"You what?" He said, honestly surprised at what she just said.

"He came by that morning and told me that he got someone to cover his shift so that he could be with me but, I didn't really want him there. So, we broke up. I know that I should have let him stay but, I guess if I did that, he wouldn't have been there to help Alexis. So I guess it wasn't really bad timing."

"You broke up?" He asked, wanting to get to the point.

"When he came back, he kissed me and hugged me but, something was... off. His hands were cold, his lips didn't feel the way they did before. I felt, trapped. And I guess he saw it and he backed off. I told him that I didn't want to keep trying to make this work, and he agreed, and he left." She explained, deciding to leave the part of him telling her about Castle waking up in the ambulance.

"I'm sorry, I know you liked him." He said honestly, but tried desperately to hid the excitement that he felt rising in him.

"Well, my leg didn't pop." She said, with more of a lift in her voice than before.

"Huh?" He asked, genuine confusion on his face.

"My leg didn't pop. When a guy kisses a girl, and it's an amazing kiss, her leg pops, it's something we can't help." She explained.

"I never knew that." He looked to find the waiter coming with their orders. When the waiter set their food in front of them, he looked over at hers, trepidation seeking its way onto her face. She lifted one of her too many forks and tasted her food. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to comment, but failed as her mouth was still full. She finished what was in her mouth, and she spoke, "Oh my god, Castle! This is amazing!"

"I told you." He said as he began his.

They finished their food, passing up dessert and headed out, with him still holding both the doors to the restaurant and the cab for her. They rode back to her apartment in a more comfortable silence. When they got to her door she turned around and looked up. "Thanks, Castle, I had a lot of fun tonight."

"It's was my pleasure, Kate." He gazed into her eyes, that were accompanied by a soft expression. It wasn't until they were inches apart that one of them realized that they were slowly making each others way toward one another. But the one who realized it didn't want to stop. She leaned up and stopped, waiting for the sparks to come back. When he softly pressed his lips to hers, she felt the wave again. With another kiss, it deepened, and her toes began to curl, and when his hands moved out of his pockets and found her waist, that's when it happened. She felt her heal hit her door, and she responded to the involuntary movement by moving her hands up to grasp the lapels of his suit jacket and tugging hard. When the kiss deepened even more, she moved to wrap her arms around his neck and close the distance that lay between them, with his arms finding their way around her waist, and his hands finding their way to her back and pressing her into him. With one hand, she fumbled to get the door unlocked and open it. They stumbled backward and he flung it shut with one foot, and the she pushed him back against it.

It's about time that they got their timing right.

* * *

**A/N: I know its a bad place to leave it, but it's 5:30 in the morning and Im late for work. I started this last night hoping to finish it last night, but it got away from me and i had to finish it this morning. I will start the next chapter when i get home this afternoon, and will also up the rating when i post the next chapter. **

**Also, the date wasnt as detailed as i would have liked, but ive never been to new york (and never plan to) and im not going to try to write about things that i dont know about. So forgive me, and let your own imagination do the work where mine cannot. As always, review, they encourage me to keep going! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Wow! My inbox exploded when I got home! I am truly surprised at the response this is getting. And most of you are mad at me for ending it where i did, but there is a reason for that. I finished the last chapter right as I was running out the door for work this morning and I wanted to get a new chapter up with in 24 hours of posting the last one, that and i dont want to make the chapters too long. And THE RATING HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY UPPED! SO IF YOU ARE AGAINST READING SMUT THEN STOP HERE! If not, then be my guest and comment on my ability to write it, or lack there of. **

**Disclaimer: still not mine, but one can always dream, right?**

* * *

****Castle locked eyes with his partner who was only standing about a foot away, and started to inch forward, being pulled by her eyes that were flicking from his lips back up to his eyes. They were forced closed when he felt her breath on his lips and the only sense that he could read was the touch of her soft lips to his. It was soft, hesitant, as if testing the waters, to see if it could be deepened. With more force, the kiss deepened a little, then more so when he was pulled closer to her by the grip of her fingers over the lapels of his jacket. Deepening the kiss even more, he gripped her slim waist, pressing her lower half to his own increasing arousal. She then snaked her arms around his neck and pressed her other half flush to him. Moving his hands behind her, and over her back, he felt her shiver when his fingers hit the bare back of her dress and press her even closer to him. The next rational thought he had was of her fumbling with her keys with one hand, trying to get the door open, while the other remained fisting his hair, making sure he didn't relent in kissing her.

When they stumbled through her door way, he kicked the door closed and the air was forced out of him when he was shoved against it attacked once again. She moved her lips against his frantically, nipping at his bottom lip before smoothing it over with her tongue, which had made its way into his own mouth to do battle with his. She gripped his lapels once more and shoved this time, desperately trying to discard the clothing from his shoulders. He pushed against the door to let the jacket fall to the floor and was pushed against it once more. She was fierce, she was passionate, and she seemed hungry, and he was the only one that seem to quench this certain appetite.

He moved his hand up to cup her cheek with the other found its way to her left thigh, and yanking so that her leg was now clinging her to him. A deep moan that he had heard only once before had risen once again, and it only egged him on. She cupped his face to keep him in place while she moved her lips down his face to lavish her tongue over his stubble covered cheek until she stopped at his pulse point and she moved her hands down to the buttons of his white dress shirt and began to fumble with them, _this is so much easier when you're not horny_, she thought to herself. She was four buttons down when she heard his scratchy voice fill her ears with an uneasy sounding question.

"Are you sure you want," he took a deep breath while she continued to suck on his pulse point, "want to do this?"

She then gripped the sides of his partially open shirt and yanked it open with enough force to send the buttons across the floor. With a low groan of satisfaction he gripped her other thigh and yanked upward. Completely in sync, she flung her arms around his neck and leaped into his grasp and wrapped her legs around his waist, his throbbing proof of pleasure pressing into her own. On shockingly steady legs he slowly walked to her bedroom, while she started to assault his mouth and tongue, which had lost the last battle, once more.

When he felt the edge of her mattress hit his knees, he bent down, with her still stuck to him, and lowered her onto her bed. He discarded his wounded shirt and tossed it across the room, leaving his chest bare. She moved her hands down the broad expanse of his chest, admiring his always hidden physique with her firmly pressed palms. The firmness of his pecs, the hard set of his abs, the strong sides, the play of his flexing back muscles and they support his weight against his fore arms.

She felt her dress being slip up her legs. She arched her back to give him the opportunity to get it a little higher but it still was offending his ability to explore her body. She pressed against his right shoulder and flipped them, giving her a chance to flip the dress off and across the room, next to his shirt. She looked down, and finally saw what she had felt, _and I thought he was a distraction before._ His hands found residence on her hips, almost afraid to move. She bent down to press her lips to his again. She moved her hands on top of his and moved them for her. His hands were incredible, sliding up her sides until it stopped at the edge of her bra, he moved his thumbs her covered nipples and let him take over so she could press her hands to his chest.

Squeezing and kneading, she pressed her chest into his hands. His hands moved around her back and she was not at all surprised when she felt the snap of her bra come undone with very little effort. He's obviously done this before, and he's obviously very good at it. Slipping the lace garment off, he flicked it across the room in the same direction of all the other clothes that had been discarded.

"You're still wearing too much." She said breathlessly as his hands found purchase on her now bare breasts.

"We can remedy that, you know." He said, his lips making their way over her collar bone and down the valley of her breasts, until they found her right breast.

With a light squeal, as his teeth found her nipple, she moved her hands down to find the top of his dress pants. She undid the button and now struggled to pull them down while he was lying on his back. Feeling her slight distress, he flipped them once more and began to shove his pants down half way until her feet came up to grip the edge of them with her toes and pull, until he was able to kick them off the rest of the way. He started to straighten and she missed the warmth that his torso provided the second it moved an inch away from hers.

He gently slipped his two index fingers through the edges of her damp panties, and very, almost too slowly began to glide them down her flawless legs. Pressing feather kisses along the trail his fingers created. When her legs stretched out and pointed upward, he slip her panties the last few inches he needed, until she was free of them. He then took her right foot in his hands and pressed a kiss to her big toe, then to her low ankle, then to down her calve, his hands trailing slowly. He bent down even further, moved his right hand to the outside of her left thigh and gripped, forcing her whole leg on his shoulder, while still peppering kisses to the side of her knee, then onto her inside thigh until he felt the heat radiate off of her coursing center. Moving his hands to grip her thighs, so that both of her legs were onto his shoulders, he felt her hands slid over his scalp to fist his hair and pull, wordlessly begging him to start. Her legs flexed, her heels dug into his back, and the bed squeaked as she arched her back after his breath hit her.

With one final squeeze of her thighs, he finally descended on her. She let out a loud yelp, digging her heals into his flexing back even further, and pressing her creamy thighs into the sides of his head. He lavished his tongue over her again, and again. He moved his hand over her leg to find her clit and press firmly, moving his middle and index around it in small circles. She let out moan after moan, getting higher in pitch with each rotation his fingers made. He let his other slip off of her trembling leg, and then let his fingers slip slowly into her. She was already pulsing inside. He moved his hand that had been circling her nub up to her breast, and was covered with her own, to help him grip it tighter, and replaced his recently departed fingers with his tongue.

"Cas... oh Castle. Please, teh... take me, Castle." She pleaded. With her invitation, he only pressed his mouth harder against her soaked arousal until her back arched completely off the bed. He got up and placed himself at her entrance, hovering an inch above her, with her still begging for relief. Her eyes were closed and failed to see his trepidation. "Do I n..."

He was interrupted right as she got why he didn't enter her right away. "Pill." He kissed her with passion, with vigor, with lo... no, not yet.

The second he finally entered her, time froze around them. They were finally together, after nearly four years of Tom and Jerry, the mouse trap was finally set off. Her legs were still trembling around his waist, tightly squeezing his waist, her hands were now around his neck and were wrapped just as tightly around it. He moved, and it caused her to gasp, which only encouraged him to sink deeper into her. He began to move at a very slow pace, wanting to savor the feeling of her completely surrounding her. After a couple of minutes, the need for more over took her and she began to plead with him once more.

"Ma... more. Please, Castle! Faster... heh, harder, deeper!" She pleaded into his ear that lay next to her mouth. She never begged this much, then again, no one has ever taken as much care as he took with her before. Josh has just kind of, taken her. With Josh it was just, sex. But this, this was, something more. She didn't think that there was a big difference between just having sex and making love, until now. Now, she never wanted to have sex again, she only wanted to make love, and only make it with him.

He complied with her pleas and increased his pace and the force he applied, and her insides began to tremble around him, once more. His moves her precise until he felt the control he had start to slip. It slipped farther and farther as his moves began to become less timed, unsteady, and sloppy. With her insides still pulsing, she came undone around him. He stopped his movements as she rode out the most intense orgasm she's ever experienced, and with a few more thrusts right before it ended, he let his own orgasm overtake him.

Panting, and with blissful smiles on both of their faces, he rolled over plopping down and pulling her with him so that she was pressed into his side. Running a hand down his sweat slicked chest, she spoke, the words still broken by heavy panting.

"Tha... that was... wow." She said.

"Yeah. wo... wow."

* * *

**A/N: So yeah, this chapter is all sex, and guess what, not ashamed! I was going to add the waking up part that i came up with to this. but i didnt expect to have the sex scene last this long. So ill add it to the next chapter and go from there. Hopefully, with the upped rating, i can get some more views to this, and more reviews! **

**Remember, reviews= encouragement, encouragement= more writing, more writing= more story for you guys! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Still not mine, but one can still dream right?**

* * *

She fluttered her eyes ope, after the most restful sleep she has had since this last case. Feeling the down comforter slide over her naked flesh, she began to stir. She swung her arm over to only feel the other half of the empty bed, but it was still warm. With the feeling of the residual heat coming off the sheets, the memories of last night rushed back to her and she felt every muscle she had tingle in an electrifying wave of pleasure. She let out a small giggle, remembering the way she jumped into his embrace.

Suddenly wondering why the other half of her bed was empty, she let a very troubled look come across her features. She braced herself with both arms behind her and sat up, her hair fanning out stiffly behind her, sticking up at some spots. She mentally slapped herself for forgetting to wash her hair out when she got home, but soon remembered that she was... otherwise occupied.

Through still blurry vision, she rubbed her eyes, and panned the room to examine her surroundings. Then she saw him.

He was standing facing the window, looking out to the sunrise. He had put his pants back on, but nothing more. He had his hands clasped behind his head, and was set aglow by the golden light streaming through the window, the curves of his back muscles more visible as the shadows were cast around them, his biceps bulging and his shoulders raising up every seconds or so to indicate that he was breathing.

_Wow, Josh has nothing on him. _She thought inwardly.

"Hey there, Apollo." Kate spoke in a very sultry voice.

He gazed over his shoulder with a wicked smirk on his face. "Hey there, Aphrodite." He spoke just as sultry.

"So you have to be the god of poetry and enlightenment and I get to be..."

"Yep, after all, you are the goddess of beauty, desire, and most of all, pleasure to me." He said, turning around and coming to walk over to her.

"You do know that she was married to Hephaestus, right?" She repositioned herself to place her head in her hand with her elbow supporting it.

"If you don't like being the goddess of beauty, desire, and pleasure, you can always be Artemis." He said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I don't think I can, after what we did last night." She remarked.

They locked eyes and smiled softly to each other, that quickly turned into lustful grins. She was glad that this wasn't as awkward as she thought it would be. After her first time with Josh, it had been weird. But this, it just seemed to naturally flow. She suddenly had a thought and she needed to ask,

"Why'd you get out of bed?" She asked in an accusing tone.

"Well, I knew that you would slap me if you woke up to me watching you sleep, so I pried myself off of you about ten minutes ago and watched the sun rise." The thought of him watching her sleep was actually flattering.

She just hummed as he bent down to place a soft kiss to her inviting lips. With another hum of satisfaction, they separated only an inch.

"Last night was amazing." She said, as she placed her forehead against his.

"Yeah, it was." He answered with a warm smile on his face. They stayed there for a long moment before he felt he had to clarify something.

"You know, I honestly didn't expect anything from you by taking you out. I just wanted to thank you for all you did for Alexis and I." He said, placing a warm hand on her shoulder.

"You don't regret it, do you?" She asked, fear seeping from her voice.

"No, no, not at all." He stamped out the fears she had very quickly. "I just want you to know that I would have been happy with just a hand shake and a 'good night'. But Kate, making love to you is something I will never regret."

He really was sweet. He wanted her to know that he took her out, spent a serious amount of money on food, and showed her a great time, just to thank her, and didn't expect a thing in return. And the fact that he thought she would accuse him of taking her out, being a complete gentleman was just a show so he could get her into bed, hurt her.

"Castle," She spoke coming up to cup his cheek, "After all that we've said and done for each other, why would you think I would accuse you for using me like that?"

He lifted his hand to cover hers over his cheek, "Listen, I know I don't have a great track record when it comes to this sort of thing. And right now, I feel like I'm walking in a mine field, that if I say or do one wrong thing, that this is going to explode and after what I've felt after being with you, I don't think I will ever be the same if that happens."

"To be honest, Castle. I'm just as terrified as you are." She said, his worried eyes coming up to meet her own.

"What do you mean?"

"Castle, I... I've never felt like... it just seems..." She just couldn't voice what she was thinking. He was always the one who knew what to say, not her.

"Kate, neither have I. I mean, you a beautiful, you're brilliant, you're elegant, you're confident, you're stubborn, you're dedicated, you're loyal, you're just so... extraordinary. And I'm, well..."

"You're charming, you're generous, you're selfless, you're intelligent, you're strong, you're brave, you're an amazing father, you're loving, you're just... extraordinary."

They shared a loving kiss. Neither of them giving a voice to those three words were dying to come spilling out. They had one night together, after all. After about five minutes or so, he kissed once more, and began to get up.

"Look, I have to run home and check to make sure Mother is tending to Alexis and scold her for nothing. Why don't you shower and we can meet for breakfast." He said, slipping his shirt over his shoulders.

"I'd like that." She gave him a tender smile.

"Great, should we say," He looked at the bedside table alarm clock, "nine thirty at Remy's?"

"I'll be there." He came over to her once again, placed a soft hand on her check and set his lips softly against hers and quickly straightened up, letting her lips mindlessly chase after his, with her eyes still closed. When they fluttered open, she saw him walking backwards, still facing her with a large smile playing across his face. He made his way out of her apartment and she fell backward against her pillow once more with a loud groan.

_I have to call Lanie. _She thought to herself. She needed the quick counsel of the straight forward, take-no-prisoners, no mercy, best friend.

* * *

**A/N: I know, pretty boring. But im still hoping it will get better. I have a few ideas to make it a little more exciting, but im still not sure if it will be believable or not. But please, still let me know. Your reviews are very much appreciated! SO KEEP REVIEWING! Thanks! x**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Great episode of Castle last night! Favorite line: Wheres the super hot detective? "Oh your lookin' at him." xD Way to go espo! **

**anyway, here is the next chapter of The Impression That I Get. **

**Disclaimer: Still not mine, but i can still dream.**

* * *

****She quickly grabbed her phone and hit speed dial five and waited for Lanie to answer. On the second ring, she picked up and started to give hell.

"So how was it?" She asked right away.

"Huh?" Came the slightly confused reply.

"You're calling me before 8 o'clock, we both have the day off, and if you hadn't done anything I really wanted to hear about, then you would have called me when you got home. So spill, how was it?" Lanie asked once more.

With a grunt, she relented, knowing she couldn't fight talking about it for very long. "It was... uhm..."

"Wow, that good?" Lanie exclaimed.

"You have no idea, Lanie."

"I hate to say I told you so, girl, but I told you so." She said, sass evident in her tone.

"Yeah, yeah. God, Lanie, he was just so... so..."

"Man, he really did a number on you, didn't he?" She asked, not really looking for a direct answer. When she was met with silence, she began again. "So, let's do some comparison. When you called me after Josh, you went 'eh', saying it was nothing special, that it was weird afterwards, but after Castle, you're speechless. So are you two..." Lanie let her words falter.

"I'm not entirely sure. He asked me to breakfast. I'm suppose to meet him in about two hours." She said, glancing at her clock that lay just a few feet away.

"You're together then." Lanie replied, with no hesitation.

"What? How do you know?"

"Kate, if it was just a one time thing, then he would have just said that he has some where to be and that he would call you. But, he invited you to breakfast to talk about things. And besides, you should expect more out of writer-boy by now."

"Yeah, I do. But there's something... different."

"Of course there's something different, girl, you two just slept with each other." She said, pointing out the obvious.

"No, I mean, there's something, else." She said, not knowing how to put it.

"You're in love, girl."

The words made Kate's heart race, and her muscles tingle. 'Love' was a word she didn't use lightly. Sure, she's known him for almost three years, but still, they had one night together. Sure, that night had been amazing, but it was still just one night.

"I don't know." Kate said flatly.

"You will, just give it time, don't rush into things."

"Lanie, we went on one date and ended up sleeping together." She quirked.

"As far as I'm concerned, you two have been seeing each other for quite a while now. It's just last night was the first time you actually considered going out to eat with him as a date."

"I guess you're right. Well, listen Lanie, I have to take a shower and get dressed. I'll talk to you later. See you later, Lanie. Bye Espo!" She called out to the phone and heard Lanie shush him rather loudly right before she hung up.

She went about getting herself ready on auto pilot until she was headed out the door with about a half an hour to spare.

* * *

Getting home at around eight o'clock, he threw his keys down on the kitchen island, looked around for his mother, or evidence of her being here. He went upstairs after sweeping the entire down stairs with out finding anyone. He came up to Alexis' room to find her asleep in her bed, and he then let his heart rate decrease a little bit , knowing she was safe and sound.

The door creaked rather loudly when he began to close it and this caused her to stir, and eventually sit up with squinted vision.

"Dad? What time is it?" She asked in a raspy voice.

"Hey sweetie, how you feeling?" He came to sit beside her.

"A little better than yesterday. My neck feels bendable again, and my head feels two sizes smaller."

"That's good, what about the rest?" He asked, taking a quick once over glance of her body.

"My leg hurts a lot less, and my shoulder just feels weird, numb I guess." She said, trying to move her left shoulder in circles.

"Do you need anything?" He said, getting up to do her quick bidding.

"Nothing I can't do myself, Dad." She said with raised eye brows, suggesting he should get out.

"Oh, okay. Well where is grams? I agreed to meet Beckett for breakfast."

"She's still asleep, she was up pretty late." She said, moving the blankets on her bed around and readjusting her position.

"Alright, well I'm going to take care of a few things here then I'll head back out in about an hour, okay?"

"Okay, Dad."

He returned downstairs and went into his office to check his schedule on his laptop and cursed himself, he then checked his mothers schedule that lay next to him on his desk, and he cursed himself once more. He returned up stairs to find Alexis playing on her own laptop.

"So we may have a problem." He said, coming to lean against her door jam.

"And what is that?" She asked, not bothering to look up.

"Well, I have a publishing meeting this evening, and your grandmother has an acting class. And I still don't feel comfortable leaving you alone. So, If I can get Beckett to come over, will you be okay with that?" He inquired in a small voice. He didn't want to force her into anything she didn't feel up to.

"Yeah, I guess." She responded, a little unsure of herself.

"Great, I'll ask her when I go to meet her." He glanced at his watch. "Speaking of which, I'm running late. I'll see you this afternoon, pumpkin." He came up to kiss her forehead.

"I'll be here, love you, Dad." She said as he made his way out of her room.

"Love you too, pumpkin"

* * *

She was already sitting in their regular booth when he came stumbling into Remys at 9:40. He ungracefully slid himself into the opposite side of her and greeted her, rather chipper.

"Hey!" He greeted, a bright smile on his face.

"Hey there." She responded, a sultry grin on her face.

Ernie came over and placed two mugs in front of them. They thanked him in unison and let a rather awkward silence envelop them. Running a finger along the handle of her coffee cup, she nervously spoke.

"So, uh, are we..." She asked, not knowing how to put it onto words.

Picking up on what she was asking, he responded with another question. "Do you want to be? I don't want to pressure you into anything, Kate."

"No, I want to. I just wasn't sure if we were on the same page or not." She reassured him, and took a long swig of her rather dull coffee. There was something about Castle's coffee that made it taste better.

"Well, I'm glad we are on the same page then." He said, with a smirk on his face.

They ordered their food, and joked about how they wished they had more time off. When they were placed with the check, they now had time to kill.

"So, I have a publishing meeting tonight at five, and mother has an acting class at 4:45, and I don't feel comfortable leaving Alexis alone. Do you think you could come over and just... well, not babysit her, but you know, just... be there, in case..." He let the words fall, not knowing how to put it.

"Uh, yeah. I guess I could. How long will you be gone?"

"It's always hard to say. It could be just an hour, or it could run as late at nine or ten, and mother always stays after and mingles with her students. I'd really appreciate it."

"No, it's no trouble at all. I had nothing better to do anyway." She said, picking up her mug again.

"There's always me." He said behind his lifted mug.

She smiled behind her mug. They were still them.

* * *

**A/N:Pretty short, I know. But once I get to writing some case work and such, they will get longer, because then I will have Ryan and Espo to play around with. And I do have something planned for Beckett coming over to watch Alexis. Hope you guys like it! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: still not mine, but i can still dream.**

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She got to the loft at around 4:30, after spending the day doing menial chores and errands. She was more than a little hesitant about being there with Alexis alone, knowing the topic of them was bound to spring up eventually during the course of the night. She wanted her approval, that was certain. She didn't want this to end because of what she thought, but she wouldn't fight if Alexis was truly against it. Like Martha said before, Alexis is his whole world.

When she arrived and knocked on the door, she was greeted by a brightly dressed Martha just heading out for her acting class. Saying their goodbyes, Kate was ushered in by the departing Martha, and made her way over to Castle, who was leaning against the island, a bright smile inviting her over to him. She gracefully made her way toward him and snaked her arms around his midsection, leaning up on her toes to press a light kiss to his lips that left both parties aching for more. Pulling away, but both pairs of lips still chasing after one another, they opened their eyes to stare off into the sparkling abyss that lay before each of them. Separated, but still clinging to each other, Castle finally spoke, his voice steady.

"I missed you." He said with a loving gaze casting downward at her.

"Caste, I've been gone five hours." She added.

"You make it sound like it's easy. Didn't you miss me at all?" Putting on a face that mocked being hurt by her words.

"Maybe a little." She responded, quirking her lips.

"I guess I'll just have to try harder then won't I?" He inched down to meet her in the middle before she stopped her pursuit to speak once more.

"I guess you will." Their lips met again and their grip on one another tightened. They lent their foreheads together, smiling brightly to each other. It wasn't until this time that they realized Alexis' presence in the living room just a few feet away, sitting with her laptop, researching more colleges. Kate had hoped that she would be hold up in her room and would just call her up if she had needed anything, but that hope was soon dashed. Deciding to cling to the good news that Alexis seemed to either not care or not notice them holding each other, Kate made her way over to sit in the chair that sat next to the couch where Alexis had made her nest for the night. Kate suddenly felt a rather large lump grow in her throat, feeling nervousness boil over in her system. She went up against hardened criminals everyday, and yet an eighteen year old girl has enough power over her to make her sweat glands tingle and over sensitize her skin, making the slide of her clothing over it to feel like a Brilo pad going over a scab.

Castle grabbed his jacket from the hall closet and grabbed his keys, then made his way to bend down over the edge of the couch and press a kiss to his daughters hair. Asking her if she needed anything, Alexis scoffed and assured her that she was fine. "Dad, I'm fine. Besides, Detective Beckett is here." She reassured her father, but not making any move to look over at Kate.

"Okay, well, I'm off. I'll let you know when I get through, sweetie. Make sure to give Beckett a hard time and tend to you hand and foot." He joked. Kate had snapped her head up with scared eyes only to be met with a smirking Castle. She just rolled her eyes and let her bottom lip come into the grasp of her teeth.

Making his way over to the door and on his way out he called out. "Okay, later. I love you." He added quickly and shut the door behind him. Kate was about to respond instinctively until Alexis had called out the same response, making her realize that it probably wasn't meant for her. She couldn't help but feel inwardly embarrassed for herself. An awkward silence now surrounded them, making the air thick with unspoken tension. Kate wondered if it was a stupid question to ask if she needed anything, seeing as her father had just asked her on his way out, but decided to make it known that she was here to help. "So, uh, you need anything?" The shake in her voice fading as she steadied herself.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks though." She spoke, with out breaking her focus on the screen in front of her. Kate then got up and slowly made her way to the kitchen to get some water, knowing coffee, or anything caffeinated would just put her more on edge. Putting her glass under the nozzle on the inside of the refrigerator door, she silently took a few deep breaths until she heard Alexis start to shift on the couch. She looked over to see that she was moving to get up. Quickly, setting her glass down on the counter, she moved over to help the stumbling Alexis, and helped her get her weight shifted into the right place so that she could move on her own. With a thankful smile, she then moved off to the bathroom, and quickly returned. Kate had returned to her spot in the chair, feeling a bit more confident, taking into account that Alexis hadn't shaken off the hand that Kate had offered to help steady herself as she got up.

"So how've you been feeling?" She asked.

"Well, I've been better. It sucks having a broken leg." She said with an 'omft', as she let her weight pull her down to the leather of the couch.

"Yeah, it does. I broke my leg when I was little. I know what you mean." Kate said in a tone that said she was deep in memories. Alexis decided to let her voice them. "What happened?"

"My mother was teaching me how to ice skate at the plaza. It was my first time, and I've never been that good at it, I'm still not. But it was my first time out on the ice and she got out on to the ice like it was nothing, so I thought to myself 'how hard can it be?'. I went out onto the ice and someone skating by had rushed past me and hit my skate by accident and sent my down. Some one else had tried to stop but couldn't in time so they landed on my leg with their skate. My mom felt so guilty for not watching me close enough." Kate finished with a thick and emotional voice.

Alexis was touched, in a way. Her dad had said how closed off Beckett was about speaking about her mother, and divulging a personal memory like the one she just had left her in a wake of shock. She decided to take this opportunity to ask something of Kate, hoping she wouldn't take it the wrong way. "Detective Beckett?" She asked in a frightened voice.

"You can call me Kate, you don't need to be so formal."

With a smile, "Kate, are you and my dad dating?"

That unwelcome feeling of nausea flooded back in her system, and it left her wondering if she was accusing her of something. Steeling herself, she let out the last bit of air she had in a short breath. "Yes, we are." Not being able to gauge the young girls reaction, and not being able to read into her silence, she prodded gently. "Is that okay?"

"It's just he's been chasing after you for years now, and I can't help but wonder. Why now?"

The question left herself wondering. Why now, indeed? Why not last summer, or when he came back? Why not the first time he had asked her, or the second time, or the third? Him asking her for something along those lines she had always taken as a joke after a while, and she knew he didn't mean anything by it. But what drove him to ask those questions in the first place? The need to see her smile, or the witty responses she always gave? Did he mean anything by it? What if he had? Would they have been ready of they decided to take this to the next level sooner than they did? Are they even ready now? Alexis deserved to know why her father has been chasing after this road runner, and why it wasn't until now that Wile E. Coyote finally caught up to it.

"Well, when he started shadowing me, he was annoying, he was a pest, and all I wanted was him out of my way. But then his insight into things, and his way of thinking started to help out little by little. Then, eventually, it got to the point where I don't think I could solve a case with out at least his input into it. He has become my partner and the best one I could ever hope for. I don't like to admit that a writer has saved my life, after all, I am the cop, and I should be the one saving his life but, he has. And it wasn't until this last time that he did that I finally saw him as more than a partner."

With a smile growing in the girls face, she looked relived to know why. "He cares for you a lot, Kate. I don't think he would ever do what he's done for you for any one I've seen him with. After he left Gina, he started dating a lot of women that he cared nothing for, and I just looked away when I would hear them fawn all over him, throw themselves at him. After a while, I didn't really care what new girl he would walce in with, because they all would be leaving the next morning. Sometimes I would ask him about the new girl in his life and he would always say the same things. She was pretty, she was his biggest fan, she loved his books, but I highly doubted that any of them could actually read. I could tell he was getting tired of it. He would come home from a release party with a sunken and worn out look on his face. I could tell he was getting sick of playing the playboy part. It all seemed to end when he started shadowing you, Kate. He talked about you differently, saying you were intelligent, strong, courageous, frustrating, challenging, and beautiful. I haven't heard him call a women beautiful in a long time."

As much as Alexis' speech had touched her, she asked, snapping her out of her focus. "Why's that?"

"Well, you know him as well as I do, and he loves to see himself as a poet. He says that true beauty doesn't take work, it doesn't need to be prepared, or made up. It just happens naturally. He says that beauty has mostly nothing to do with looks, but with a persons heart. He says that if he thinks a woman is beautiful, then she doesn't need people telling her that she is." Alexis spoke, thinking that she was just making conversation, when hearing of what he thought beauty was sent butterflies raging in her stomach. He was a poet, indeed.

"He cares for you, Kate. I think he might be in love with you, and I don't want to be the one to ruin it so if what you are looking for is my blessing, that I won't stand in your way." Alexis said, voicing Kate's inner thoughts.

Still shell shocked, Kate shook her head to clear away the contoured face that had crept up. "I... uhm, thank you, Alexis." She said, coming to look into the girls glittering eyes and smile.

They sat there in a much more comfortable silence until Alexis slowly made her way upstairs to go to bed. It wasn't until now that she realized that Castle has now been gone three hours. After another half hour if sitting in her chair, she felt her eyes slip shut, saying to herself that she was just resting her eyes. She soon fell into a rather deep sleep.

* * *

She let her eyes flutter open, only to slip shut once more, and borrow herself deeper into the embrace that surrounded her. She subconsciously smiled contently, until her shifting caused the arm that was around her waist to tighten. She moved her head against the bicep that lay underneath her hair and moved to stretch her sleep strained muscles, only to have her feet brush against another pair. She soon was fully snapped out of her sleep filled state, and became aware of her condition. She was spooning with Richard Castle on his couch. The first thing that shocked her was that she was actually spooning with him. She never spooned, she always felt cocooned, trapped. But something was different. His body perfectly held hers, and her body molded itself to his. They fit. She didn't feel restrained in anyway. She felt safe, she felt secure.

She felt loved.

Her mind now drifted to how she ended up on the couch in the first place, and how Castle ended up sleeping behind her. Feeling the swell and depress of his chest against her back, she decided to let it go, not wanting to question a good thing. A large breath in, that brushed air past her hair, and caused the chest that she leaned against to expand largely signaled that he was awakening.

With a low and sleepy moan, he greeted her. "Mmm, morning beautiful." Tightening his already tight grip on her midsection, she sighed warmly and rested her arm on top the one around her and let the other fall off of the couch and ran it down the length of his, and came to entwine their fingers. "Morning handsome."

Feeling a kiss bin pressed on the back of her head, she spoke. "I thought I was asleep in the chair."

"You were, I got home around nine, and you had your head slumped off to a weird angle and I didn't want you waking up with a crick in your neck, so I moved you over to the couch, and then you looked so lonely sleeping all by yourself on this big empty couch, so I decided to fix that too."

When he was met with silence, he was afraid he had done something wrong. "Why is, is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all."

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**A/N: It's been a while since ive written for this story ever since I started my others. But this story still has my most views and the most followers. And i couldnt leave you hanging. *Hi-five* **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: SO sorry for the super long delay. A month and a half! Well, first i went out of town for a week and a half, then i got sick. Then! The new expansion DragonBorn came out for skyrim on the PC so i got addicted to that. But here it is! It has some pretty long case work in it. But I think it will be worth it for the story. **

**Disclaimer:Still not mine, but i can dream.**

* * *

"Mmm, Beckett." Came the groggy voice harshly pushed through the receiver of her phone that was fumbled for under the darkness of the bedroom. "Okay, be there as soon as possible."

After quickly committing the address and name of the location to memory, she fell back against her pillow to relax her muscles, only to stretch them out as much as she could.

"Mmmmm, why can't people kill each other after 10 am?" Came the equally groggy voice from the other side of the bed as a heavy arm came swinging around to land limp and useless on her waist.

"Well, I'm sorry, Castle. You don't have to come if you don't want to." She said, rolling over to face him. He was pretending to be asleep, badly. "So?"

A smile grew across his face that was half covered by the pillow that his face was buried in, then his eyes crept open and greeted her own sleepy complexion. "Nothing says good morning like a nice murder." She lent down and pressed a light kiss on his cheek and sat up on the edge of bed and let his silk sheets fall off of her naked skin as she raised her arms over her head to stretch once more. He watched her with undivided attention as she raised her self up and grabbed up his dress shirt off of the floor and flung it across her shoulders, admiring the view he received as she bent down to pick it up. He broke the spell she was casting by the sound of a question. "You want the shower first?"

She whipped her head around and gave him a wondering look. "You're not gonna... you mean..."

"What is it?"

"It's just I half expected you to make a remark and try and trick me into letting you shower with me." She said, turning around and crossing her arms.

"Kate, showering is kind of a personal thing. But if that is an invitation, it will be pretty hard to decline." He said, waggling his eye brows.

"No, it's just that all the other guys I've been with have always tried to do that. I've always found it kind of weird, to be honest."

"Well, I'm not most guys, now am I?" He asked, putting on a content face.

"No," She said, coming to crawl across the bed briefly and press a kiss to his parted lips, "You're not."

"So, I assume you want the shower first then?" He asked, brushing a finger across her forehead to place a lock of hair behind her ear. She simply raised an eye brow and pranced across the bedroom to the bathroom and shut the door behind her, hearing him say that he would ready the coffee as she was in the shower. About seven minutes later, she got out of a quick shower still rubbing her hair with a towel as a cup of coffee adorning his name was placed in her hand as she was barely out of the bathroom door, and was quickly closed again. She just rolled her eyes into a smile and went about to find her clothes scattered across the floor, having some difficulty finding her bra. After the bathroom door opened once more to let the steam pour out, she was greeted by a wet Richard Castle, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, a head of wet unkempt hair, and bright smile. She drew a long breath in to steady herself and another to keep the shake out of her voice. "We should get ready. We have a body to get to." She said, slipping on her heels.

"What? It's not like it's going anywhere." He quirked, moving across to his dresser to rummage for something to wear.

"Still, we need to get there as soon as possible."

"Alright, alright. I'll hurry." After quickly getting dressed, and running a comb thru his hair, followed by a hand to put it in place, they were out the door and into her car to drive down to the industrial district. After sitting in a comfortable silence for a good twenty minutes, Castle was the one to break the silence as they were stuck behind a slow moving cab. "You know, I've had a great time this past week."

"Yeah, me too." She responded, chancing a glance across to him and gave him a loving smile.

"So, is there anything that we should not do?" He asked, thinking that they were on the same page.

"What do you mean?" Apparently they weren't.

"You know, ground rules for this." He said, gesturing between them.

This was a conversation they had both procrastinated on for the past week, and they did it on purpose. Neither one of them liked the fact that they would have to hide the fact that they were dating. "Well, I guess for starters, uhm, no PDA, obviously."

"Can you be a little more specific?"

Giving him a confused look, "You know, kissing, hugging, holding hands, things like that."

"So no passionate locking of lips behind the closed doors of the storage closet, or the thrill of a quickie after hours in the locker room?"

"Castle, this is serious! If people see us acting like a couple of love sick teenagers, they are going to start talking."

"Kate, they are talking already. And besides, it's not like you've never done anything like that before."

"What do you mean?" She asked, accusingly.

"Well, there was the time I walked in on you and Demming necking, or the time I saw you two kiss in the break room." He said, counting on his fingers.

"Castle, that was..."

"... different, I know. I'm not trying to guilt you or anything, it's just sometimes, you are hard to resist. And now that we have been together, and know what it feels like, it may be even harder to fight the urges, if that... makes sense."

He had a point really. But this _was_ different, she wanted this to last, she wanted this one to be serious, wanted it to be something... more. And people did talk, and she didn't want more rumors to start, the ones they had to deal with now were enough. "I'll tell you what, if there is a moment, were no one is around, and the moment is right, we can try, deal?"

"Deal." He said with a small smile.

* * *

Thirty minutes after they had left, they arrived outside of the Manhattan Iron Works back entrance. The scene was taped off as a body lay lifeless just outside of a door that was ajar, with an orange hard hat sitting next to it. Castle and Beckett walked over to Lanie who was crouched down examining the body.

"Hey Lanie, what have we got?"

"Male, 20 years old, single GSW to the heart. Judging by the whole, I'd say no smaller than a .38, but I can't be sure until I fish out the slugs. By the burns on the edges of the wound, it was point blank, almost as if the gun was pressed up against him. Judging by body temp and lavidity, time of death was around 7 to 11 last night."

"Name?" She asked, running her eyes over the young looking man.

"Isaac Hughes. He works here. Boss said he was working late last night, and usually went home around 8. According to the clock report we got, he never clocked out, so he was still on shift when he was killed." Espo said, coming up from behind.

"Alright. Where is the supervisor?" Beckett asked, as Espo pointed over to a man in a white hard hat. They walked over and shook hands.

"Hello, I'm Detective Kate Beckett and this is Richard Castle. Did you know Mr. Hughes well?"

"Oh, everybody knew Isaac. He was one of the best guys here. Always came to work on time, worked hard, stayed late, everybody liked him. You don't get many kids his age with his kind of work ethic." The man said.

"Did he have any enemies that you know of. Anyone that would want to do him harm?"

"No, everybody loved him. He was a dedicated employee."

"Did you notice any unusual behavior lately?" Beckett asked.

"No, not that I could tell. He kept to himself mostly. Isaac was real quiet."

"Did he always work til 8?"

"Most of the time, yeah. He runs our molding line and he stays after to change all of the patterns and make sure we have everything ready for the next shift to start. He usually gets out around 8:30 or so."

"Okay, we will need a list of all of your employees as well as access to any security footage you have, and the clock report for the past two weeks."

"Of course, anything you need."

They turned around and walked back down to where the body was being loaded onto a gurney, into the medical examiners van. Walking up to Ryan and Esposito, Beckett told them to head back to the precinct and contact next of kin while her and Castle start the canvas. "You got it, boss."

Walking down the alley, a confused look grew on Castle face as he looked inside the shop, where he say a few mean bustling about, and another group of mean pulling a large ladle full of molten iron. Recognizing the look, Kate spoke up. "What is it, Castle?"

"Those furnaces run 24/7, and burn at about three thousand degrees, which is plenty hot enough to turn a human body to ash. So why not just toss a body in there, instead of leaving it in broad day light?"

"It's possible the killer was afraid being seen by a security camera, or just didn't think of it. Besides, if the shot was made close enough for the muzzle flare to burn his shirt, then he probably knew his killer." Kate said.

"You're probably right." Castle responded.

They went about the canvas, asking the employees if they saw anything out of the ordinary, and didn't turn anything up. When they didn't turn anything up, they headed back to the precinct. "Where are you guys on next of kin?" Beckett asked Ryan from across the bullpen.

"Just got off the phone with his dad upstate. He's coming down tomorrow. Said he was stuck at business." Ryan said, in a displeasing tone.

"Okay, what about ballistics?"

"That's where it get's interesting." Espo said, coming up from behind. "The bullet matched a gun that was used in a hit and run seven years ago that was never solved. It's a .45 caliber. The cold case was a guy outside of a gas station. Went in to get a tall can, shot in front of the store, no one saw the car, or just didn't want to talk. The case went cold pretty fast. The guys name was Tim Euson. The only living relitive he has is his younger brother, we tried calling him to ask if he remembered anything about his brothers case, but the number we have on file is a bust. So, I did a web search and he is playing with a band down at a local venue at some all day, punk rock show thing."

"Alright, Castle and I will go and pick him up. You go down to Lanie and see what she has." Beckett said, turning back around and heading for the elevator with the small piece of notepad paper Espo had ripped out for her.

"Aren't they usually the ones that do this kind of stuff?" Castle asked as they got into the elevator.

"This one is going to be different." Kate informed, coming to rest unusually close to Castle as the elevator doors closed.

"How so?" He asked not at all offended at the sudden invasion of his personal space.

"If this is a punk rock show, there are going to be punk rockers there, and punk rockers usually hate cops, and the last thing that this precinct needs is bad press because Espo got all prideful and charged with assault by some kids." Becket said.

"You make a good po..." He was suddenly cut off by the grasp of her hands on the side of his face and the brief attack of her lips on his. Before his mind caught up with what was happening, it was over. "Uhmm, what was that for?"

"You were right, it's hard to resist." She said with an evil smirk as she strode out of the elevator.

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**I was going to make this into one long chapter, but I have a feeling that it would take too long, so i decided to chop it up, so the next few chapters will have case work, but i am going to introduce a character that i hope you will like in the next chapter. It is sort of based on me. Sort of, kinda, a little. **

**Again, I am really sorry about the really long delay, i will post the next chapter as soon as i can. **


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